Town Hearth, Rudy's Tortillas, executive changes: Thursday's Business Briefing

Your lunchtime look at D-FW business [Your lunchtime look at D-FW business] July 13,  2017 (Courtesy / Rudy's Tortillas) The Big Story Dallas-born Rudy's Tortillas, on tables from Chuy's to Applebee's, is sold One of Dallas' landmark family-owned tortilla companies, Rudy's Tortillas, has been bought by Teasdale Latin Foods for an undisclosed amount. [The tortilla company, now based in Carrollton, began in 1945]( on McKinney and Maple avenues in Dallas. When it started, most tortillas were made at home by Mexican-American families. Another tortilla maker — Luna's Tortillas — was nearby on McKinney Avenue. The company now makes 50 million tortillas a day, said Louis Guerra, one of Rudy's owners and the grandson of its founder. At least 150 restaurant chains buy its corn and flour tortillas or tortilla chips. It counts Chuy's, Denny's, Dave & Buster's, TGI Friday's , Chili's, Applebee’s, Uncle Julio’s and Abuelo’s among its customers. Louis Guerra, one of Rudy's sons, was the company's most recent CEO. He and his siblings will continue to run Rudy's as a division of Teasdale. The brand and location will stay the same, he said. -[Melissa Repko]( Plus: [Find more on D-FW entrepreneursÂ]( The Latest - Sports business: [Cowboys defend crown](as world's most valuable franchise in Forbes' annual rankings. - Airlines: [American Airlines ends]( codeshare with Qatar, Etihad as subsidy dispute heats up. - Retail: [Plano-based J.C. Penney]( adds toy shops to its 1,000 stores, online. - Real estate: [Flippers, investors and builders]( bought more than a third of Dallas homes in 2016.  - Transportation: Ruling could let [Texas Uber drivers]( join class-action suit, attorney says. Advertisement Nick []Badovinus poses for photograph in the MG at Town Hearth in Dallas, Wednesday, June 21, 2017. (Jae S. Lee/The Dallas Morning News) Featured Columnist: Cheryl Hall How Nick Badovinus went from kitchen nightmare to Dallas dining phenom It’s Thursday evening as [Nick Badovinus table hops at his packed Town Hearth restaurant]( in Dallas’ Design District. His slightly wrinkled chef’s jacket christened with a small food stain belies his star status as owner/chef of one of the hottest restaurants in town. Badovinus huddles with each table as if he’s greeting close friends. Some are. Some are about to be. He’s clearly in his element. “Food brings people together,” the 46-year-old says later in an interview. “It’s an act of sharing, fun and generosity. This is the joy business.” Plus: [Find more columns from Cheryl Hall]( Elsewhere in Texas - Jobs: [Private-sector hiring]( slowed in Texas in June. (San Antonio Express-News) - Energy: [London's Ensco](leads the rebound as offshore drilling bottoms out (Houston Chronicle) - Economy: Three of Texas' [most expensive zip codes]( can be found in Austin. (Austin American-Statesman) - Airlines: [Mesa Airlines](pilots who handle United Express flights in Houston get a new contract. (Houston Chronicle) - Sports business: [Local company]( wins $1.2 million annual Alamodome contract. (San Antonio Express-News) The Dallas skyline is mirrored in the Sammons Park reflecting pool at the Winspear Opera House on Wednesday, June 28, 2017. (Ryan Michalesko/The Dallas Morning News) Onboarding Who is getting hired and promoted - AMERICAN MOMENTUM BANK named Ben Deal senior vice president of SBA lending in Texas. - CALISE PARTNERS named Taylor Calise chief operating and technology officer and Drew Holmgreen executive director of client services. - KIMBERLY-CLARK CORP. named Jeffrey Melucci senior vice president and general counsel. - LANDDESIGN INC. named Brian Dench and Heth Kendrick principals in the Dallas office. Plus: [Find more executive changes]( Follow DFW stocks: [See how top North Texas stocks performed](, as well as the oil and gas markets and major stock exchanges. DFW Top 100 Places to Work 2016: The Dallas Morning News and Workplace Dynamics partner each year to feature the [Top 100 workplaces](, based on ratings by the people who work at them. The 2017 ranking is in progress. Advertisement 👋  That's all for today! For up-to-the-minute business news and analysis, check out [DallasNews.com/Business](. 💖 Share the love: If you like this newsletter, please forward this email to a friend and [check out our other newsletters here](. 📧 Do you have feedback on this newsletter? Send your thoughts, questions, praise and corrections to our Business Editor Paul O'Donnell at [podonnell@dallasnews.com](mailto:podonnell@dallasnews.com?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback). STAY CONNECTED WITH US  [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Twitter]( [LinkedIn]( [Tumblr]( [Google]( [Ello]( [Ello](  [OTHER NEWSLETTERS]( [SUBSCRIPTION OPTIONS]( [Unsubscribe](  |  [Manage Preferences](  |  [Privacy Policy](  |  [Contact](  |  [Advertise]( You received this message because you signed up for this Dallas Morning News newsletter or it was forwarded to you. Copyright 2017 - [The Dallas Morning News]( | [508 Young St., Dallas, TX 75202](#)